What Makes a Monster

♱Fifty-Four♱

I don't know how much time passes between Allvar's exit and the door reopening. The wait felt like hours, but could have been minutes. Familiar robed mages waltz into the room, two in total. I jump to my feet, backing away only for one to step on the chain, locking me in place. The other removes my cuffs. There's a moment where I consider stabbing him in the eye with my fingers, but I'm not a great fighter against the average man let alone mages. So his eyes are safe...for today.

The two grip me by the arms, dragging me out into the hall. A flash of the nightmares I had only a few nights ago remind me how similar of a situation this is; a helpless person being forced through dark halls to an unknown location. Luckily for me, there is not a torture room at the end, but rather a set of stairs leading into a nicely lit tower. My neck hurts from craning upwards to admire the dark gray stone steps leading high above, but we don't linger long. The mages are rushing me towards a wooden door. There are armored knights standing guard and the same sigil rests on their chests as the pin that Allvar wore.

When the door opens, I'm shocked at what I see. We went from a dungeon to a beautiful hallway with lush purple and gold rugs atop gray stone. To the right is a long line of domed windows, the view of which informs me that Allvar was right. Wherever I am, I've never been there before. This place must rest on a hill or cliffside as it's high above the vast wilderness reaching as far as the eye can see. Tall pine trees with a river cutting through the mass of green stretches into the distance. There are no signs of people, not huts or villages, not even a path.

I have no idea where I am nor have I any clue how we arrived. This is not Vashna, although it may not be far outside of it. The mages don't allow much gawking as they are rushing me forward, through the long narrow halls, past servants, knights and other mages. It seems they care very little if I see anything, which I'm grateful for. At least the foreign view keeps my nerves occupied until we go through another set of doors.

We're in another tower, only at least four times as large and far more intricate. The tower reaches high but has no windows. There are torches burning on the walls with more carved symbols and clear stones that I can only assume reach up to the top. The stones are not diamonds, they're far more rough, similar to the one that Lord Movell had on his staff or Lady Connte on the hilt of her blade. At the center of the tower is a strange white glyph. The symbols are similar to the ones tattooed on the mages' skin that kidnapped me.

Speaking of the kidnapper, he's here, standing next to Allvar, five knights and five more mages. They're huddled outside of the glyph, speaking in the same foreign language the mage used. They only stop when I'm brought to them and shoved to my knees, peering up at the mostly narrowed gazes now fixated on me.

I am so fucked.

"Wallie, thank you for joining us," says Allvar. He gestures to the kidnapper. "You've already met Nawa."

Nawa nods as if to say hello. I scan over him, peering at his arm that is wrapped in bandages but appears to be working fine. How long was I out? Or was the wound one that he could heal? And speaking of the kidnapping--

"What happened to Malatis?" I ask, peering about for the familiar, but he has yet to reveal himself. His absence is making me more nervous by the second.

"Malatis?" Allvar hums, glancing at Nawa.

"The familiar, I assume," Nawa explains. He looks bored when replying to me, "The bind has been cut and the beast returned to The Veil."

"So he's alive?"

"Yes."

I'm relieved, although I'm confused as to why they wouldn't kill him. Whatever, as long as he's alive. Let's hope I can follow in his footsteps because it's beginning to feel like my "bait" status is about to be revoked and replaced with "very fucking dead."